#NewMusicFriday: July 18th 2025

This week’s #NewMusicFriday brings some noteworthy releases, and at least one to avoid.

As always, let’s start off with this week’s recommended releases. Laura Jane Grace‘s latest project, The Trauma Tropes, releases ‘Adventure Club’. Established UK punks, Darko, continue to show their versatility on ‘Canvas’. While underground post-black metal Ba’al provide a harrowing and compelling album in the form of ‘The Fine Line Between Heaven and Here’. You read my thoughts on all three releases below.

Elsewhere, Russian deathcore outfit Slaughter To Prevail unleash the feral ‘Grizzly,’ and someone thought it’d be a good idea to put out a ‘Best Of’ collection for Five Finger Death Punch. Worryingly, it’s only ‘Volume 1’.

Meanwhile, Daron Malakian revives his Scars On Broadway side-project with ‘Addicted to the Violence’. Someone else putting out a side-project is Paramore‘s Zac Farro, who offers his solo album, ‘Operator’. New Yorker’s Bodega pivots and embraces thrash and skate punk with their NODEGA offshoot.

There’s also the self-titled debut from Cardiff’s Panic Shack. Flourishing with relevant, witty songs, the quartet serve up an infectious mix of indie-punk and post-punk.

You can also hear new releases from Bush, We Are Scientists, WSTR, and more today.

Laura Jane Grace In The Trauma Tropes – Adventure Club

Laura Jane Grace remains as prolific as ever. Following last year’s solo album and ‘Give An Itch’, the EP from The Mississippi Medicals, she returns with another new project: Laura Jane Grace In The Trauma Tropes. Joined by her wife, Paris Campbell Grace and Greece-based musicians Jacopo “Jack” Fokas (bass) and Orestis Lagadinos (drums), ‘Adventure Club’ is a raw, collaborative punk record that still feels deeply personal.

The songs stem from a songwriting retreat in Greece, with the group reuniting six months later to record this 12-track blast of protest and reflection. It’s the closest Grace has sounded to Against Me! in years – fast, unfiltered, and sharply written, with most songs under three minutes.

As a songwriter, Grace is as candid as ever. Whether that’s celebrating getting stoned on ‘I Love To Get High’, voicing relentless anxiety on ‘Active Trauma’, or confronting substance abuse on ‘New Year’s Day’ and ‘Poison In Me’. Even the stripped-back ‘Free Cigarettes’ feels honest and unflinching.

However, there is also a playful side to The Trauma Tropes. ‘Your God (God’s Dick)’  skewers religious zealots with Paris’ bratty charm, while ‘Espresso Freddie’ is a tongue-in-cheek love letter to a local coffee.

‘Your God (God’s Dick)’ is an NSFW retort to religious zealots. With its sharp guitars and Paris Campbell’s bratty vocals, it’s just one example of the loose and organic tone that ‘Adventure Club’ takes. There’s also an ode to a local coffee drink, ‘Espresso Freddie’. Aided by Paris’ “woah”s, Laura Jane sings of the “precious drink”. Socially conscious moments shine, too. ‘Wearing Black’ is a tongue-in-cheek and celebratory song of the LGBTQ+ community, even if you’re a punk dressed in black.  ‘Fuck You Harry Potter’ swaggers with transphobia undertones and aims at outspoken and opinionated men. Meanwhile, ‘WWIII Revisited’ is a snappy protest song with call-and-response urgency.

Grace and her band balance rage, wit, vulnerability, and raw energy throughout. The result is a sharp, spirited addition to her solo discography and another unapologetic chapter in her ever-evolving story.

DARKO – Canvas

Not to be confused with their American namesakes, Darko (UK) have spent the past 15 years becoming seasoned veterans of the UK punk scene. In that time, they’ve carved out a reputation as a punk band with progressive rock flourishes. However, as their new EP ‘Canvas’ shows, that description merely scratches the surface of their dynamism. Opener ‘Grey Havens’ begins dreamily before building into a towering post-metal/post-rock crescendo, showcasing Rob Piper and Chris Brown’s intricate guitar work. ‘Dared to Dream’ follows, galloping with technical punk vigour as Tom West’s ferocious vocals cut through the mix. Later, ‘Hectic’ delivers a minute-long blast of chaotic, metallic fury, before ‘Goodbye Bastards’ closes the sequence with swaggering punk assuredness. Thriving with an abundance of energy, it’s a fine example of what Darko have made their bread and better for 15 years.

‘Canvas’ is the third part in a trilogy, completing the puzzle that began with 2022’s ‘Sparkle’ and continued on last year’s ‘Greyscale’. Thematically, the trilogy explores destruction – personal, environmental, and political –  a thread that ties the EPs together while still allowing each to stand on its own. Its title track sees the band’s focus on the grassroots music scene, showing their gratitude for the sector. Wrapped up in a penetrative ball of hardcore punk, Piper and Brown exchange twisting riffs as bassist Karl Sursham and drummer Andy Borg direct the track’s chaotic energy. Meanwhile, ‘Override!’ powers through with a Rise Against-esque force, confronting society’s toxic social conditioning, tinged with a sense of regret. ‘Aux III’ is the ideal conclusion to the trilogy. Bringing together Darko‘s dynamic style with the destructive narrative, it’s paired with a sense of perseverance. “If we’re going to hell, then you’re coming to… we’re doomed,” closes West with vengeance.

‘Canvas’ proves to be an easily digestible EP, showing Darko‘s versatility while being anchored to their punk roots. For all the technical proficiency and hardcore flashes, the quintet maintain the genre’s spirit and ethos. The result is an unflinching, honest narrative that speaks to perseverance in a fractured world.

Ba’al – The Fine Line Between Heaven and Here

Steel City quintet Ba’al specialise in bleak, atmospheric post-black metal. Their second full-length, ‘The Fine Line Between Heaven and Here,’ comes five years after their debut album, ‘Ellipsism’ . It was also recorded during the same sessions that saw them record last year’s ‘Soft Eyes’ EP. Though only three tracks long, the EP gave Ba’al room to experiment and explore their sound, adding post-rock to their palette. Its follow-up considerably continues this trend, allowing the Sheffield mob to showcase a textured and layered approach.

Made up of six tracks stretched over 62 minutes, The Fine Line…’ is made to be patiently consumed. However, it regularly rewards listeners. Take the opening track, ‘Mother’s Concrete Womb,’ as an example. As it ebbs and flows through moments of tranquil poise and harsh brutality, the payoff comes through Nick Gosling and Chris Mole’s riveting guitars and Luke Rutter’s monolithic drumming.

Read the full review here

What is out on #NewMusicFriday?

Laura Jane Grace In The Trauma Tropes – Adventure Club
Slaughter To Prevail – Grizzly
Five Finger Death Punch – Best Of – Volume 1
Daron Malakian and Scars On Broadway – Addicted To The Violence
DARKO – Canvas
Zac Farro – Operator
NODEGA – Rot In Helvetica
Bush – I Beat Loneliness
Panic Shack – Panic Shack
We Are Scientists – Qualifying Miles
WSTR – Bare Bones
Ba’al – The Fine Line Between Heaven and Here
Throatcut – RESILIENCE
Abigail Williams – A Void Within Existence
Blind Equation – A Funeral In Purgatory
The Requiem – A Cure To Poison The World (Deluxe Edition)
Spin Class – Dinner at Derek’s
Fiona Grey – Adult Tantrums
Message To Bears – Tired Eyes, Waking Hearts
Erode – Devout
Don’t Worry – Idealism
Styx – Circling From Above
Paul Bartolome – Fake Hollywood
Numan – Titular Character
Effuse – On Others
Drought – Souvenir
Aethyriem – Ritual Solace
Year of The Dragon – Dragon Burn

If you think I’ve missed something or have a new album/EP/song to tell us about, tell us about it here.

If you’re looking for the latest tracks focusing on rock, punk, hardcore, metal, emo, and everything in between, then check out our ‘Newish Music’ playlist on Spotify or Apple Music.